Pleasantly Raising Cain

Girl on Fire (Part 2)

So I was mean yesterday and left this short story on a cliffhanger. So, you guys deserve this chapter.

Enjoy.

Erskine flicked the pen across the room, and winced as it smacked Tanith in the back of the head. He had not meant to do that. Oops. The blonde swords woman turned her head slowly, with an annoyed look on her face. Erskine shrank back.

"Do that again," Tanith said. "And I will stick the pen in your eye."

Erskine nodded, and went back to pretending to work. Tanith sighed and turned back towards Ghastly.

"Have you heard from Skulduggery?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"No, not since yesterday."

"I wonder where they went."

"Madame Mist sent him and Valkyrie on another case," Ravel interrupted, standing up from his desk.

"What case?" Tanith asked, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"I don't know, she didn't give me details. All I know is that it involves Sanguine and Dusk."

"Since when does Mist have authority over Skul and Val?" Tanith asked.

"That's what I was thinking when she told me," Ravel nodded.

"Well it's not like Skulduggery or Valkyrie not to call us if they knew they weren't coming back," Tanith said.

Ghastly nodded.

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Tanith asked.

"It's a possibility."

"We need to find Mist and force her to give us details," Tanith said, and not waiting for an answer, she stormed out of the office.

Tanith didn't slow down as Ravel and Ghastly caught up to her. If her best friends were in danger, then it was a matter of time... And time was something that was limited in their case.

She pushed open the door to Mist's office to see the Elder sitting at her desk. She looked up at the sudden entrance. Tanith didn't bother with introductions.

"Where did you send Skulduggery and Valkyrie?!" She ordered, smashing her hands down on the desk. Mist stood, getting eye level with her, and failing to make herself look more like an authority figure, because Tanith's expression was fierce.

"That's confidential Miss Low," she answered.

"Like bloody hell!" Tanith yelled. "Tell us where you sent them now!"

"I'm afraid I cannot..."

"WHERE ARE THEY?!"

"Miss Low, please take a step back or I will be forced to call in the Cleavers."

Tanith glared at Mist, and reluctantly took a step back. Ghastly's hand was on her shoulder to calm her. The last thing she needed right now was to get arrested when Skulduggery and Valkyrie needed her.

"Now I cannot tell you where I sent Detectives Pleasant and Cain, because it is..."

"Tell us right now, or I'll get the Cleavers onto you," Ghastly snarled.

Mist stood there for a moment, contemplating this, then she finally spoke.

"Serpine's castle," she said.

********

Tanith ran through the halls, frantically searching and looking around every corner. Where were they?

"Tanith," Ghastly said from behind her. "We need to come up with a plan for this."

"There's no time," Tanith argued.

"They might not even be in trouble."

"You know that's not true. Skulduggery or Valkyrie would've called us by now."

Ghastly stopped, and didn't say anything. He knew what she said was true. Ravel stood beside him.

"What are we going to do about this?" Ravel whispered. Ghastly sighed.

"We are going to split up."

******

Tanith ran through the halls, trying not to panic too much.

"Valkyrie!" She shouted. No answer. She cursed in frustration. "Skulduggery!"

She looked around another corner, and still found nothing. Where were those two? She hoped they were alright.

"Please be okay," she whispered, and then she started running again. And that's when she heard voices. Around the corner right in front of her. She had to stop herself from yelling with joy. The voice was Skulduggery's.

She peeked around the wall, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Valkyrie was lying on the floor of a cell, shackled and by the looks of things, unconscious. And she wasn't wearing her protective clothing. Tanith frowned. Valkyrie never went on a case without her armoured clothes. Then she heard Skulduggery growl.

"Go to hell," he snarled. Then she heard a crash, like someone had smashed into something. She looked around the corner again, being quiet and saw that the sound had been Dusk smashing Skulduggery against the wall. Valkyrie still hadn't moved. Tanith couldn't watch anymore.

Without thinking, she ran up onto the ceiling until she was directly above them, and dropped to the ground with a thud. That's when Sanguine turned, and Tanith flashed him a cute smile.

"Hello Billy Ray."

So guys I had a really shitty day today and people annoyed the fuck out of me, so I needed to escape, and writing was the only way to do that. Hope you enjoyed it and there's more to come.